TAK At the national Seed conference

Takuma (Tak) Chipman, SAMO Fund’s Seed & Herbarium Program Manager, attended the National Native Seed Conference last month in Washington D.C. where native seed experts from across the USA come together to discuss and share their current projects and research. Several topics were of particular interest to the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area’s ongoing projects. These include: the challenges and best practices for sourcing locally adapted seeds for restoration projects; genetic research of seeds stored in banks; success stories and current challenges such as sourcing seeds for larger scale increase in planting; predictions for climate change; and funding. 
 
Tak is keen to introduce some of the ideas he learned at this conference and to implement them in our restoration and seed programs to create a more robust approach. Specifically, he wants to improve our seed banking operations to capture as many native seed populations as possible. Ultimately he would like to explore and document the genetic information to prepare for future wildfire recovery. 

"This conference is a great way to connect with other organizations doing similar work, to hear and share success stories and explore challenges that all native seed experts and restoration specialists face," said Tak.

A graduate of UCLA, Tak has worked with the Santa Monica Mountains Fund since 2020 when he started his career as a Native Plant Nursery and Restoration intern. He was hired as a Seed Technician assisting in coordinating seed collections, throughout the Santa Monica Mountains. In October 2021, Tak was promoted to Seed & Herbarium Program Manager. His primary duties include: coordinating, collecting, processing, and storing seeds and herbarium samples from the Santa Monica Mountains to preserve & document native plant populations.